Attachment for decorative objects for vehicles

ABSTRACT

An attachment means allows for easy attachment of a decorative bow to the license plate or other metallic surface of a vehicle. The decorative bow has two horizontally disposed loops, namely a first loop and a second loop, and a center portion between the loops. The attachment means includes one or more magnets, which support the decorative bow. A first magnet is attached to the rear surface of the first loop of the decorative bow. A second magnet is attached to the rear surface of the second loop of the decorative bow. A third magnet is attached to the rear surface of the center portion of the decorative bow. The magnets are attached to the decorative bow with glue, industrial tape, or the like, or the magnets are inserted in pockets on the bow that are completely stitched, glued or heat sealed closed. Alternatively, the attachment means includes a mounting member comprising a flexible strip, which supports the decorative bow. A plug is attached to each end of the mounting member. The plug may be easily inserted into and removed from the bottom holes of a license plate on a vehicle. The plugs are attached to the mounting member by extensions, and include slits.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.10/392,596, filed Mar. 20, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a decorative attachment forvehicles; and more particularly to a system for attaching decorative orother items to the license plates or other metallic surfaces ofvehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

For many years, people have searched and struggled for ways to decoratetheir automobiles; particularly for the Christmas holiday season and forother special events such as weddings and Easter. At Christmas, wreathshave been tied to front grills, and bows and garlands to antennas androof racks. These decorations must be carefully attached to preventdamage to vehicle parts. Installation is time consuming, and oftentimesimperfect. The decorations tend to become separated and are lost ordestroyed during movement of the vehicle at velocities required oninterstate highways.

Prior art devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,754 toFreelander; U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,725 to Voges; and U.S. Pat. No.5,857,244 to Edwards, have not disclosed or suggested the presentinvention as described and claimed herein. Namely, prior art deviceshave not disclosed or suggested an attachment means for attaching adecorative bow to a metallic surface of a vehicle, such as a licenseplate, or vertical rear side of a trunk or tailgate, wherein theattachment means comprises one or more magnets being positioned atspecific locations on the bow for magnetically attaching the bow to thevehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an attachment means for quickly andsecurely associating a decorative item or attachment with a vehicle.Preferably, the decorative item is a bow having two horizontallydisposed loops, namely a first loop and a second loop, and thedecorative bow further having a center portion between the loops. Afirst magnet is attached to the rear surface of the first loop of thedecorative bow. A second magnet is attached to the rear surface of thesecond loop of the decorative bow. A third magnet is attached to therear surface of the center portion of the decorative bow. Alternatively,only the first and second magnets are used to attach the decorative bowto the vehicle. In another embodiment, only the third magnet is used toattach the decorative bow to the vehicle.

The magnets operate to magnetically attach the decorative bow to ametallic surface of a vehicle. The metallic surface can be (i) a licenseplate; (ii) the vertical rear side of the trunk; or (iii) the verticalrear side of the tailgate. Each of the magnets is attached to thedecorative bow with glue, industrial tape, or the like. Alternatively,the first and second magnets reside in pockets on the bow, wherein thepockets are completely stitched, glued or heat sealed closed along theperimeter. Preferably, each of the first and second magnets is aboutthree inches by one inch in size.

Alternatively, the attachment means includes a mounting membercomprising a flexible strip, which supports the decorative item orattachment. A plug is attached to each end of the mounting member, andmay be easily inserted into and removed from the bottom two holes of alicense plate on a vehicle. Preferably the plugs are attached to themounting member by extensions, and include slits.

A mounting bracket allows the device to be easily attached toautomobiles and other road vehicles. The attachment is accomplishedquickly and secures a decorative item to the vehicle in a unique andideal manner. A one piece special mounting bracket simply plugs into thebottom two holes of the back of the license plate, positioning the bowbelow the licensed plate in order not to obstruct any of the licenseplate numbers or letters. In addition, the plastic special mountingbracket, also pushes the decoration back against the automobile, usuallyin front of the back bumper, away from the wind, allowing the bow'stails to hang below. Once attached, the bow remains securely associatedwith the vehicle; and will not become separated, damaged or lost duringmovement of the vehicle at velocities required on interstate highways.Other motorists on the road, seeing this from behind, are amazed at howthe bow is so well positioned and secure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages willbecome apparent when reference is had to the following detaileddescription and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, with the mounting bracket;

FIG. 2 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, shown being mounted to the licenseplate of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a side elevated view of the built-in plug end according to anembodiment of the present invention, which is located on the sides ofeach end of the mounting bracket;

FIG. 4 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow, with a mountingbracket;

FIG. 5 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow, showing beingmounted to the license plate of the vehicle;

FIG. 6 is a side elevated view of a plug for a decorative bow;

FIG. 7 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, with three magnets;

FIG. 8 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, with two magnets; and

FIG. 9 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, with one magnet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, various aspects of the present inventionwill be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurationsand details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understandingof the present invention. However, it will also be apparent to oneskilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced withoutthe specific details. Furthermore, well-known features are omitted orsimplified in order not to obscure the present invention.

Referring to the FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown an exemplaryembodiment of the invention 10 comprising three separate components; thebow 12, the mounting bracket 14, and the plastic clip 16.

FIG. 1 is a back pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, with the mounting bracket.Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, preferably the bow 12 is made offive-inch wide, three-mil outdoor vinyl, in holiday colors,predominantly red. The classic bow 12 design consists of two loops 18and two tails 20. Together, the two loops 18 across measureapproximately twelve inches in total, or about the width of a licenseplate. Each of the two tails 20, which are cut at angles 22, measureapproximately twelve inches long. In alternate embodiments otherstructures may be attached to the mounting member, for example, themounting member may be used to support a cutout silhouette design, or asmall stuffed animal. Furthermore, the mounting member may be of adifferent structure than the bracket shown; for example, a flexible ropeor a solid rod.

FIG. 2 is a front pictorial view of a decorative bow according to anembodiment of the present invention, shown being mounted to the licenseplate of the vehicle. Referring to FIG. 2, the one-piece mountingbracket 14, is key to allowing the decorative bow invention 10 to beeasily attached, without error, to the vehicle. The mounting bracket 14is made of flexible, preferably white plastic 24, curved by design 34,with two built-in plugs 26 at each end, for insertion into the bottomtwo holes 28 of the back license plate 30 of the vehicle. The mountingbracket 14 has a center flat bridge 32, designed to allow the bow 12 tobe properly positioned outwardly for display. The curved design 34 ofthe mounting bracket 14, also positions the bow 12 below the licenseplate 30, allowing clear visibility of the license plate numbers andletters. The flexible plastic 24 and the curved design 34 of themounting bracket 14, is also designed to push the bow 12 back and flatagainst the vehicle, for proper display and protection from the wind.The mounting bracket 14 is attached to the bow 12 by a plastic clip 16.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the decorativebow 10 is attached to the vehicle by inserting the two plugs 26 at eachend of the mounting bracket 14, into the bottom two holes 28 of the backlicense plate 30 of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting bracket 14, according to an embodimentof the present invention, has built-in plug ends 26, which preferablycannot be separated from the bracket 14 itself. The built-in plug ends26 are preferably made of relatively soft plastic 24, as opposed to theplugs 46 as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 is a side elevated view of the built-in plug end according to anembodiment of the present invention, which is located on the sides ofeach end of the mounting bracket. Referring to FIG. 3, the built-in plugends 26 are also designed with slit grooves 36, to allow for easyremoval by hand, of the mounting bracket 14, as shown in FIG. 2, fromthe license plate 30; pliers are not required for removal. Preferably,the built-in plug ends 26, also have a plug end stem 38, which allowsadditional space for attachment to the license plate, when the licenseplate frames are in place.

While the decorative attachment of the present invention is describedwith respect to specific embodiments, it should be noted that thepresent invention may be implemented in different manners and used withdifferent applications.

For example, the mounting bracket may have a construction, as depictedby FIGS. 4-6. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown the decorativeassembly 40 including the mounting bracket 42. The mounting bracket 42has a substantially straight design and, as shown in FIG. 5, is twisted180 degrees 44 and bent in a downward position, before the two end plugs46 are inserted into the bottom two holes 28 of the license plate 30.

Referring again to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the mounting bracket 42 hastwo plugs 46, which are separate from the bracket. These two plugs mustbe assembled to the mounting bracket 42 facing inward. Such assembly ofthe plugs facilitates twist 44 and bending of the mounting bracket 42properly downward before insertion of the plugs 46 into the licenseplate 28 during installation of the bracket 42.

Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, the plugs 46 are composed of hardplastic 48. Removal of the bracket from the license plate is readilyaccomplished using pliers, or the like. A tight press-fit is achieved byplugs 46. When pulled out firmly while simultaneously applying properpressure to the corners of the license plate, as shown in FIG. 5, theplugs 46 are readily removed without causing bending damage to thecorners 50 of the license plate 30.

In cases where a vehicle's rear license plate is positioned below theback bumper and a result would position a decorative bow too close tothe road surface, thus causing possible wind damage to the bow,implementation of the invention is accomplished with the use of one ormore magnets, as described hereinbelow.

Referring to FIG. 7 of the drawings, the general construction of thedecorative bow 12 is shown at 60. The bow 12 is attached to the rear ofa vehicle in an area preferably large enough to accommodate the size ofthe bow 12, such as the vertical rear side of a trunk or tailgate.Alternatively, the bow 12 is attached to the license plate of thevehicle. The area of the vehicle for attaching the bow is metallic toallow for magnetic adhesion, but the surface may also be painted. Twoflat magnets 62, 62 are positioned in each of the two loops 18, 18 ofthe bow 12 for attachment to a vehicle. Preferably the magnets 62, 62are attached to the rear surface of the loops 18, 18 on the back of thebow. The two magnets 62, 62 preferably measure about three inches by oneinch. The two magnets 62, 62 are glued on their non-magnetic sides tothe outside of the loops 18, 18 on the back of the bow 12.Alternatively, the two magnets 62, 62 are attached to the inside of theloops 18, 18 on the back of the bow 12 by using a strong industrialtape, or the like on the two magnets 62, 62 on their non-magnetic sides,with the overlapping tape adhering to the inside vinyl loops 18, 18. Inanother embodiment, the two magnets 62, 62 are enclosed within first andsecond pockets, respectively, on the first and second loops of the bow,wherein the pocket is stitched, glued or heat sealed completely closedaround its perimeter. Preferably, the fabric that comprises the pocketis the same type of fabric as the bow; and, preferably, the fabric issoft and/or padded as not to scratch the paintjob on the vehicle, whilestill permitting the magnetism to pass through the fabric. The fabricmay consist of cotton. It is preferred that the size of the pocketsapproximate the size of the magnets to provide for a snug fit and tolimit the movement of the magnets. By having the magnets residing withincompletely enclosed pockets, several advantages result: (i) the magnetsare completely hidden from view, (ii) the magnets are securely attachedto the bow, (iii) the fabric comprising the pocket can match with thefirst and second loops of the bow to provide for an aestheticallypleasing arrangement, and (iv) the fabric covering the magnet willprotect the paint of the vehicle from scratching that may otherwiseoccur from the edges of the rigid magnet or other aspects of magnets.Preferably, a third magnet 64 is attached through the center plasticclip 16 in the center portion of the bow by means of a small bridge onthe back of the non-magnetic side of the third magnet 64, for additionalholding strength of the bow to the vehicle. The third magnet 64 may alsobe attached to the center portion of the bow with glue, industrial tape,or the like, or may reside within a pocket that is completely stitched,glued or sealed closed.

Referring to FIG. 8 of the drawings, the general construction of thedecorative bow 12, according to an alternative embodiment, is shown at60. The decorative bow 12 is attached to a vehicle with the use of onlytwo magnets 62, 62. A first magnet 62 is attached to a first loop of thebow 12; and a second magnet 62 is attached to a second loop of the bow12.

Referring to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the general construction of thedecorative bow 12, according to an alternative embodiment, is shown at60. The decorative bow 12 is attached to a vehicle with the use of onlyone magnet 64. The magnet 64 is attached to the center plastic clip ofthe bow 12. Alternatively, the magnet 64 is attached to the centerportion of the bow with glue or industrial tape, or the like, or mayreside within a pocket that is completely stitched, glued or heat sealedclosed.

Having thus described the invention in rather full detail, it will beunderstood that such detail need not be strictly adhered to, but thatadditional changes and modifications may suggest themselves to oneskilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention asdefined by the subjoined claims.

1. An attachment means for a decorative bow comprising: a. a decorativebow having two horizontally disposed loops, namely a first loop and asecond loop, and said decorative bow further having a center portionbetween said loops; b. a first magnet attached to the rear surface ofsaid first loop of said decorative bow; c. a second magnet attached tothe rear surface of said second loop of said decorative bow; and d. athird magnet attached to the rear surface of said center portion of saiddecorative bow; wherein each of said magnets is operable formagnetically attaching said decorative bow to a metallic surface of avehicle.
 2. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited byclaim 1, wherein said metallic surface is a license plate.
 3. Theattachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 1, whereinsaid metallic surface is the vertical rear side of the trunk.
 4. Theattachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 1, whereinsaid metallic surface is the vertical rear side of the tailgate.
 5. Theattachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 1, whereineach of said magnets is attached to the decorative bow with glue.
 6. Theattachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 1, whereineach of said magnets is attached to the decorative bow with industrialtape.
 7. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim1, wherein each of said first and second magnets is attached to thedecorative bow inside integrated pockets that are completely stitched,glued or heat sealed closed.
 8. The attachment means for a decorativebow as recited by claim 1, wherein each of the first and second magnets,respectively, are about three inches by one inch in size.
 9. Anattachment means for a decorative bow comprising: a. a decorative bowhaving two horizontally disposed loops, namely a first loop and a secondloop, and said decorative bow further having a center portion betweensaid loops; b. a first magnet attached to the rear surface of said firstloop of said decorative bow; and c. a second magnet attached to the rearsurface of said second loop of said decorative bow; wherein each of saidmagnets is operable for magnetically attaching said decorative bow to ametallic surface of a vehicle.
 10. The attachment means for a decorativebow as recited by claim 9, wherein said metallic surface is a licenseplate.
 11. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim9, wherein said metallic surface is the vertical rear side of the trunk.12. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 9,wherein said metallic surface is the vertical rear side of the tailgate.13. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim 9,wherein each of said magnets is attached to the decorative bow withglue.
 14. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim9, wherein each of said magnets is attached to the decorative bow withindustrial tape.
 15. The attachment means for a decorative bow asrecited by claim 9, wherein each of said first and second magnets isattached to the decorative bow inside integrated pockets that arecompletely stitched, glued or heat sealed closed.
 16. The attachmentmeans for a decorative bow as recited by claim 9, wherein each of thefirst and second magnets, respectively, are about three inches by oneinch in size.
 17. An attachment means for a decorative bow comprising:a. a decorative bow having two horizontally disposed loops, namely afirst loop and a second loop, and said decorative bow further having acenter portion between said loops; and b. a magnet attached to the rearsurface of said center portion of said decorative bow; wherein saidmagnet is operable for magnetically attaching said decorative bow to ametallic surface of a vehicle.
 18. The attachment means for a decorativebow as recited by claim 17, wherein said metallic surface is a licenseplate.
 19. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim17, wherein said metallic surface is the vertical rear side of thetrunk.
 20. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim17, wherein said metallic surface is the vertical rear side of thetailgate.
 21. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited byclaim 17, wherein said magnet is attached to the decorative bow withglue.
 22. The attachment means for a decorative bow as recited by claim17, wherein said magnet is attached to the decorative bow withindustrial tape.
 23. The attachment means for a decorative bow asrecited by claim 17, wherein said magnet is attached to the decorativebow inside an integrated pocket that is completely stitched, glued orheat sealed closed.